Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
Microsatellite data helped double yield for Indian farmersedit
A team of scientists has successfully used data from microsatellites to quantify and enhance yield gains for small farmers in India – a discovery that can help increase food production in a low-cost and sustainable way. The team from university of Michigan, Mexico-headquartered the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre and Stanford and Cornell universities ran an experiment on 127 small-holder farms in India using a split-plot design over multiple years. They also found that if they used microsatellite data to target the lowest yielding fields, they were able to double yield gains for the same intervention cost and effort.
Stirring up the truth about Zero Budget Natural Farmingedit
Most criticisms of modern agricultural practices are criticisms of post-Liebig developments in agricultural science. It was after the pioneering work of Justus von Liebig and Friedrich Wöhler in organic chemistry in the 19th century that chemical fertilizers began to be used in agriculture. In the 20th century, the criticisms levelled against Green Revolution technologies were criticisms of the increasing “chemicalisation” of agriculture. agricultural scientists do identify the improper/imbalanced application of fertilizers, that too with no focus on micronutrients, as a matter of concern. Hence, they recommend location-specific solutions to nurture soil health and sustain increases in soil fertility. They suggest soil test-based balanced fertilisation and integrated nutrient management methods combining organic manures (i.e., farm yard manure, compost, ...
National Fertilizer Limited (NFL) Achieves 25 Percent Sales Growthedit
The National Fertilizers Limited (NFL) had achieved record sales at 27 lakh tonnes during the first half of the current financial year. The company’s fertilizer sales stood at 21.62 lakh tonnes during April-September period of the last fiscal. “Breaking all previous records, the NFL has achieved 27 lakh tonnes of fertilizer sales during the Kharif 2019 (April -September) season, which is 25 per cent higher than the year-ago period,” the NFL said in a statement. Sale of urea rose 20 percent while that of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) grew by 80 percent in the said period.
Rs 500cr loan disbursal raises MSMEs’ hopesedit
With nationalized banks sanctioning loan advances worth Rs500 crore to MSME, agriculture and retail sectors at the recently held ‘loan fair’ at Surat International Exhibition and Convention Centre (SIECC) at Sarsana, MSME and retail sectors are hopeful of a turnaround. The loan fair was organized for two days from October 4 where more than 45 nationalized banks and other financial companies sanctioned loans for agriculture, MSME and retail sectors.
Technology in Agriculture
Microsatellite data helped double yield for Indian farmersedit
A team of scientists has successfully used data from microsatellites to quantify and enhance yield gains for small farmers in India – a discovery that can help increase food production in a low-cost and sustainable way. The team from university of Michigan, Mexico-headquartered the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre and Stanford and Cornell universities ran an experiment on 127 small-holder farms in India using a split-plot design over multiple years. They also found that if they used microsatellite data to target the lowest yielding fields, they were able to double yield gains for the same intervention cost and effort.
Govt. Policies
Rs 500cr loan disbursal raises MSMEs’ hopesedit
With nationalized banks sanctioning loan advances worth Rs500 crore to MSME, agriculture and retail sectors at the recently held ‘loan fair’ at Surat International Exhibition and Convention Centre (SIECC) at Sarsana, MSME and retail sectors are hopeful of a turnaround. The loan fair was organized for two days from October 4 where more than 45 nationalized banks and other financial companies sanctioned loans for agriculture, MSME and retail sectors.